Transgender Voice Therapy 101

We are now pleased to offer trans voice therapy at Aurora Speech Clinic! Read on to learn more about the role of Speech-Language Pathologists in trans health care.

What is trans voice therapy?

Trans voice therapy refers to helping someone masculinize or feminize their communication style to match their gender identity. Common treatment goals include changing pitch (how high or low your voice sounds), intonation (patterns of speech), resonance (where your voice vibrates in your body), volume, rate (how fast or slow you speak), and non-verbal sounds (such as coughing or laughing). Other treatment goals may focus on word choice, articulation, pragmatics (conversational “rules”), and other nonverbal forms of communication such as facial expressions or gestures.

Why would a person seek out trans voice therapy?

Transgender (or trans) people identify differently than the sex identified at their birth. Non-binary people have a gender that exists outside of the male/female gender binary. In some cases, trans or non-binary individuals may seek to change their appearance or communication style to better align with their gender identity. Not all trans people will seek to change the sound of their voice or their communication style; everyone’s transition looks different.

Why is this the role of an S-LP in trans voice therapy?

S-LPs are regulated health professionals who have special training in the assessment and treatment of communication and voice disorders and differences, which makes them uniquely qualified to provide this service.

Why can't I just learn to change my voice from books and YouTube videos?

You may attempt to alter your voice independently, but you run the risk of damaging your vocal cords. S-LPs with experience in voice therapy, and trans voice therapy in particular, can help you learn good "vocal hygiene" techniques as well as teach you how to make changes to your voice in safe and effective ways!

For more information about trans voice therapy or LGBT2QS+ health services in Ontario, feel free to check out the websites below: